Designing transport systems with family mobility in mind

Idea for Action Summary

Transport systems tend to be planned for long-distance two-way commuting adults.

Yet caregivers with babies and toddlers move through cities differently: they require daily support from multiple services and people, typically located close to home. The price of public transport is also a common barrier to mobility for the most vulnerable families. Lowering cost and broadening transport options can improve the well-being of both caregiver and child, and reduce stress levels.

Learn more about the effects of transportation on early childhood development, about the mobility of care from a gender perspective, or about the value of family-friendly transport systems and the cost and use barriers caregivers and children often face (USA).

City governments have critical roles to play in ensuring that public transit systems support rather than hinder caregiving activities. This means placing transit stops in places caregivers frequent and along the routes they take, as part of a network that reduces travel times to destinations. It means making system navigation easy and transferring between services as seamless as possible. It also means reducing cost barriers through free transfers and fare integration across services, improving the transit service (frequency and predictability) and designing the transit experience to be safe, reliable and comfortable for families with babies and toddlers.